Crustal structure of Northwest Zagros (Kermanshah) and Central Iran (Yazd and Isfahan) using teleseismic Ps converted phases

Receiver functions are widely employed to detect P-to-S converted waves and are especially useful to image seismic discontinuities in the crust. In this study we used the P receiver function technique to investigate the velocity structure of the crust beneath the Northwest Zagros and Central Iran and map out the lateral variation of the Moho boundary within this area. Our dataset includes teleseismic data (M _b ≥ 5.5, epicentral distance from 30° to 95°) recorded at 12 three-component short-period stations of Kermanshah, Isfahan and Yazd telemetry seismic networks. Our results obtained from P receiver functions indicate clear Ps conversions at the Moho boundary. The Moho depths were firstly estimated from the delay time of the Moho converted phase relative to the direct P wave beneath each network. Then, we used the P receiver function inversion to find the properties of the Moho discontinuity such as depth and velocity contrast. Our results obtained from PRF are in good agreement with those obtained from the P receiver function modeling. We found an average Moho depth of about 42 km beneath the Northwest Zagros increasing toward the Sanandaj-Sirjan Metamorphic Zone and reaches 51 km, where two crusts (Zagros and Central Iran) are assumed to be superposed. The Moho depth decreases toward the Urmieh-Dokhtar Cenozoic volcanic belt and reaches 43 km beneath this area. We found a relatively flat Moho beneath the Central Iran where, the average crustal thickness is about 42 km. Our P receiver function modeling revealed a shear wave velocity of 3.6 km/s in the crust of Northwest Zagros and Central Iran increasing to 4.5 km/s beneath the Moho boundary. The average shear wave velocity in the crust of UDMA as SSZ is 3.6 km/s, which reaches to 4.0 km/s while in SSZ increases to 4.3 km/s beneath the Moho.     

Receiver function study in northern Sumatra and the Malaysian peninsula

In this receiver function study, we investigate the structure of the crust beneath six seismic broadband stations close to the Sunda Arc formed by subduction of the Indo-Australian under the Sunda plate. We apply three different methods to analyse receiver functions at single stations. A recently developed algorithm determines absolute shear-wave velocities from observed frequency-dependent apparent incidence angles of P waves. Using waveform inversion of receiver functions and a modified Zhu and Kanamori algorithm, properties of discontinuities such as depth, velocity contrast, and sharpness are determined. The combination of the methods leads to robust results. The approach is validated by synthetic tests. Stations located on Malaysia show high-shear-wave velocities (V _S) near the surface in the range of 3.4–3.6 km s^− 1 attributed to crystalline rocks and 3.6–4.0 km s^− 1 in the lower crust. Upper and lower crust are clearly separated, the Moho is found at normal depths of 30–34 km where it forms a sharp discontinuity at station KUM or a gradient at stations IPM and KOM. For stations close to the subduction zone (BSI, GSI and PSI) complexity within the crust is high. Near the surface low V _S of 2.6–2.9 km s^− 1 indicate sediment layers. High V _S of 4.2 km s^− 1 are found at depth greater than 6 and 2 km at BSI and PSI, respectively. There, the Moho is located at 37 and 40 km depth. At station GSI, situated closest to the trench, the subducting slab is imaged as a north-east dipping structure separated from the sediment layer by a 10 km wide gradient in V _S between 10 and 20 km depth. Within the subducting slab V _S ≈ 4.7 km s^− 1. At station BSI, the subducting slab is found at depth between 90 and 110 km dipping 20° ± 8° in approximately N 60° E. A velocity increase in similar depth is indicated at station PSI, however no evidence for a dipping layer is found.     

Erratum to: Lithospheric structure of NW Iran from P and S receiver functions

We computed P and S receiver functions to investigate the lithospheric structure beneath the northwest Iran and compute the Vp/Vs ratio within the crust of this seismologically active area. Our results enabled us to map the lateral variations of the Moho as well as those of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath this region. We selected data from teleseismic events (M_b > 5.5, epicentral distance between 30° and 95° for P receiver functions and M_b > 5.7, epicentral distance between 60° and 85° for S receiver functions) recorded from 1995 to 2008 at 8 three-component short-period stations of Tabriz Telemetry Seismic Network. Our results obtained from P receiver functions indicate clear conversions at the Moho boundary. The Moho depth was firstly estimated from the delay time of the Moho converted phase relative to the direct P wave. Then we used the H-Vp/Vs stacking algorithm of Zhu and Kanamori to estimate the crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio underneath the stations with clear Moho multiples. We found an average Moho depth of 48 km, which varies between 38.5 and 53 km. The Moho boundary showed a significant deepening towards east and north. This may reveal a crustal thickening towards northeast possibly due to the collision between the Central Iran and South Caspian plates. The obtained average Vp/Vs ratio was estimated to be 1.76, which varies between 1.73 and 1.82. The crustal structure was also determined by modeling of P receiver functions. We obtained a three-layered model for the crust beneath this area. The thickness of the layers is estimated to be 6–11, 18–35, and 38–53 km, respectively. The average of the shear wave velocity was calculated to be 3.4 km/s in the crust and reaches 4.3 km/s below the Moho discontinuity. The crustal thickness values obtained from P receiver functions are in good agreement with those derived by S receiver functions. In addition, clear conversions with negative polarity were observed at ~8.7 s in S receiver functions, which could be related to the conversion at the LAB. This may show a relatively thin continental lithosphere of about 85 km implying that the lithosphere was influenced by various geodynamical reworking processes in the past.     

Fine S wave velocity structure beneath Iwate volcano, northeastern Japan, as derived from receiver functions and travel times

A genetic algorithm inversion of receiver functions derived from a dense seismic network around Iwate volcano, northeastern Japan, provides the fine S wave velocity structure of the crust and uppermost mantle. Since receiver functions are insensitive to an absolute velocity, travel times of P and S waves propagating vertically from earthquakes in the subducting slab beneath the volcano are involved in the inversion. The distribution of velocity perturbations in relation to the hypocenters of the low-frequency (LF) earthquakes helps our understanding of deep magmatism beneath Iwate volcano. A high-velocity region (dV_S/V_S=10%) exists around the volcano at depths of 2–15 km, with the bottom depth decreasing to 11 km beneath the volcano’s summit. Just beneath the thinning high-velocity region, a low-velocity region (dV_S/V_S=−10%) exists at depths of 11–20 km. Intermediate-depth LF (ILF) events are distributed vertically in the high-velocity region down to the top of the low-velocity region. This distribution suggests that a magma reservoir situated in the low-velocity region supplies magma to a narrow conduit that is detectable by the hypocenters of LF earthquakes. Another broad low-velocity region (dV_S/V_S=−5 to −10%) occurs at depths of 17–35 km. Additional clusters of deep LF (DLF) events exist at depths of 32–37 km in the broad low-velocity zone. The DLF and ILF events are the manifestations of magma movement near the Moho discontinuity and in the conduit just beneath the volcano, respectively.     

用接收函数研究川滇地区国家地震台下地壳厚度及波速比

本文利用远震接收函数的方法,对川滇地区的昆明、腾冲、成都和攀枝花等4个国家地震台的台基下方不同方向的莫霍面深度及波速比进行了研究和分析。结果表明:昆明地震台台基下方的莫霍面深度基本在50km左右,波速比为1.62～1.69,地壳厚度和波速比不因方向不同而发生明显的变化;腾冲地震台台基下方的地壳厚度有着比较明显的方向性,东北方向厚为40.7km,东南方向为49.7km,两个方向的波速比相差也很大,差值达到0.2;成都地震台台基下方莫霍面的深度在40km左右,但是东北和西南方向要加深8km,两个方向波速比相差0.13;攀枝花地震台台基下方的地壳厚度比较稳定,厚度在60km左右,波速比变化也不明显。     

Crustal seismic structure and depth distribution of earthquakes in the Archean Kuusamo region,Fennoscandian Shield

Two-dimensional crustal velocity models are derived from passive seismic observations for the Archean Karelian bedrock of north-eastern Finland. In addition, an updated Moho depth map is constructed by integrating the results of this study with previous data sets. The structural models image a typical three-layer Archean crust, with thickness varying between 40 and 52 km. P wave velocities within the 12–20 km thick upper crust range from 6.1 to 6.4 km/s. The relatively high velocities are related to layered mafic intrusive and volcanic rocks. The middle crust is a fairly homogeneous layer associated with velocities of 6.5–6.8 km/s. The boundary between middle and lower crust is located at depths between 28 and 38 km. The thickness of the lower crust increases from 5–15 km in the Archean part to 15–22 km in the Archean–Proterozoic transition zone. In the lower crust and uppermost mantle, P wave velocities vary between 6.9–7.3 km/s and 7.9–8.2 km/s. The average V_p/V_s ratio increases from 1.71 in the upper crust to 1.76 in the lower crust.The crust attains its maximum thickness in the south-east, where the Archean crust is both over- and underthrust by the Proterozoic crust. A crustal depression bulging out from that zone to the N–NE towards Kuusamo is linked to a collision between major Archean blocks. Further north, crustal thickening under the Salla and Kittilä greenstone belts is tentatively associated with a NW–SE-oriented collision zone or major shear zone. Elevated Moho beneath the Pudasjärvi block is primarily explained with rift-related extension and crustal thinning at ∼2.4–2.1 Ga.The new crustal velocity models and synthetic waveform modelling are used to outline the thickness of the seismogenic layer beneath the temporary Kuusamo seismic network. Lack of seismic activity within the mafic high-velocity body in the uppermost 8 km of crust and relative abundance of mid-crustal, i.e., 14–30 km deep earthquakes are characteristic features of the Kuusamo seismicity. The upper limit of seismicity is attributed to the excess of strong mafic material in the uppermost crust. Comparison with the rheological profiles of the lithosphere, calculated at nearby locations, indicates that the base of the seismogenic layer correlates best with the onset of brittle to ductile transition at about 30 km depth.We found no evidence on microearthquake activity in the lower crust beneath the Archean Karelian craton. However, a data set of relatively well-constrained events extracted from the regional earthquake catalogue implies a deeper cut-off depth for earthquakes in the Norrbotten tectonic province of northern Sweden.     

Crustal velocity structure in the southern edge of the Central Alborz (Iran)

Inversion of local earthquake travel times and joint inversion of receiver functions and Rayleigh wave group velocity measurements were used to derive a simple model for the velocity crustal structure beneath the southern edge of the Central Alborz (Iran), including the seismically active area around the megacity of Tehran. The P and S travel times from 115 well-located earthquakes recorded by a dense local seismic network, operated from June to November 2006, were inverted to determine a 1D velocity model of the upper crust. The limited range of earthquake depths (between 2 km and 26 km) prevents us determining any velocity interfaces deeper than 25 km. The velocity of the lower crust and the depth of the Moho were found by joint inversion of receiver functions and Rayleigh wave group velocity data. The resulting P-wave velocity model comprises an upper crust with 3 km and 4 km thick sedimentary layers with P wave velocities (V_p) of ～5.4 and ～5.8 km s^?1, respectively, above 9 km and 8 km thick layers of upper crystalline crust (V_p ～6.1 and ～6.25 km s^?1 respectively). The lower crystalline crust is ～34 km thick (V_p ～ 6.40 km s^?1). The total crustal thickness beneath this part of the Central Alborz is 58 ± 2 km.     

Crust and uppermost mantle structure of the Ailaoshan-Red River fault from receiver function analysis

S-wave velocity structure beneath the Ailaoshan-Red River fault was obtained from receiver functions by using teleseismic body wave records of broadband digital seismic stations. The average crustal thickness, Vp/Vs ratio and Poisson’s ratio were also estimated. The results indicate that the interface of crust and mantle beneath the Ailaoshan-Red River fault is not a sharp velocity discontinuity but a characteristic transition zone. The velocity increases relatively fast at the depth of Moho and then increases slowly in the uppermost mantle. The average crustal thickness across the fault is 36―37 km on the southwest side and 40―42 km on the northeast side, indicating that the fault cuts the crust. The relatively high Poisson’s ratio (0.26―0.28) of the crust implies a high content of mafic materials in the lower crust. Moreover, the lower crust with low velocity could be an ideal position for decoupling between the crust and upper mantle.     

Preliminary study of crust-upper mantle structure of the Tibetan Plateau by using broadband teleseismic body waveforms

As part of a joint Sino-U.S. research project to study the deep structure of the Tibetan Plateau, 11 broadband digital seismic recorders were deployed on the Plateau for one year of passive seismic recording. In this report we use teleseimic P waveforms to study the seismic velocity structure of crust and upper mantle under three stations by receiver function inversion. The receiver function is obtained by first rotating two horizontal components of seismic records into radial and tangential components and then deconvolving the vertical component from them. The receiver function depends only on the structure near the station because the source and path effects have been removed by the deconvolution. To suppress noise, receiver functions calculated from events clustered in a small range of back-azimuths and epicentral distances are stacked. Using a matrix formalism describing the propagation of elastic waves in laterally homogeneous stratified medium, a synthetic receiver function and differential receiver functions for the parameters in each layer can be calculated to establish a linearized inversion for one-dimensional velocity structure. Preliminary results of three stations, Wen-quan, Golmud and Xigatze (Coded as WNDO, TUNL and XIGA), located in central, northern and southern Plateau are given in this paper. The receiver functions of all three stations show clear P-S converted phases. The time delays of these converted phases relative to direct P arrivals are: WNDO 7.9s (for NE direction) and 8.3s (for SE direction), TUNL 8.2s, XIGA 9.0s. Such long time delays indicate the great thickness of crust under the Plateau. The differences between receiver function of these three station shows the tectonic difference between southern and north-central Plateau. The waveforms of the receiver functions for WNDO and TUNL are very simple, while the receiver function of XIGA has an additional midcrustal converted phase. The S wave velocity structures at these three stations are estimated from inversions of the receiver function. The crustal shear wave velocities at WNDO and TUNL are vertically homogeneous, with value between 3.5–3.6 km/s down to Moho. This value in the lower crust is lower than the normal value for the lower crust of continents, which is consistent with the observed strong Sn attenuation in this region. The velocity structure at XIGA shows a velocity discontinuity at depth of 20 km and high velocity value of 4.0 km/s in the midcrust between 20–30 km depth. Similar results are obtained from a DSS profile in southern Tibet. The velocity under XIGA decreases below a depth of 30 km, reaching the lowest value of 3.2 km/s between 50–55 km. depth. This may imply that the Indian crust underthrusts the low part of Tibetan crust in the southern Plateau, forming a “double crust”. The crustal thickness at each of these sites is: WNDO, 68 km; TUNL, 70 km; XI-GA, 80 km. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,14, Supp., 581–592, 1992.     

S-wave crustal and upper mantle’s velocity structure in the eastern Tibetan Plateau — Deep environment of lower crustal flow

A teleseismic profile consisting of 26 stations was deployed along 30°N latitude in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. By use of the inversion of P-wave receiver function, the S-wave velocity structures at depth from surface to 80 km beneath the profile have been determined. The inversion results reveal that there is significant lateral variation of the crustal structure between the tectonic blocks on the profile. From Linzhi north of the eastern Himalayan Syntaxis, the crust is gradually thickened in NE direction; the crustal thickness reaches to the maximum value (∼72 km) at the Bangong-Nujiang suture, and then decreased to 65 km in the Qiangtang block, to 57–64 km in the Bayan Har block, and to 40–45 km in the Sichuan Basin. The eastern segment of the teleseismic profile (to the east of Batang) coincides geographically with the Zhubalong-Zizhong deep seismic sounding profile carried out in 2000, and the S-wave velocity structure determined from receiver functions is consistent with the P-wave velocity structure obtained by deep seismic sounding in respect of the depths of Moho and major crustal interfaces. In the Qiangtang and the Bayan Har blocks, the lower velocity layer is widespread in the lower crust (at depth of 30–60 km) along the profile, while there is a normal velocity distribution in lower crust in the Sichuan Basin. On an average, the crustal velocity ratio (Poisson ratio) in tectonic blocks on the profile is 1.73 (σ = 0.247) in the Lhasa block, 1.78 (σ = 0.269) in the Banggong-Nujiang suture, 1.80 (σ = 0.275) in the Qiangtang block, 1.86 (σ = 0.294) in the Bayan Har blocks, and 1.77 (σ = 0.265) in the Yangtze block, respectively. The Qiangtang and the Bayan Har blocks are characterized by lower S-wave velocity anomaly in lower crust, complicated Moho transition, and higher crustal Poisson ratio, indicating that there is a hot and weak medium in lower crust. These are considered as the deep environment of lower crustal flow in the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Flowage of the ductile material in lower crust may be attributable to the variation of the gravitational potential energy in upper crust from higher on the plateau to lower off plateau. Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grants No. 40334041 and 40774037) and the International Cooperation Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2003DF000011)     

The crust-mantle transition and the Moho beneath the Vogtland/West Bohemian region in the light of different seismic methods

The structure of the crust and the crust-mantle boundary in the Vogtland/West Bohemian region have been a target of several seismic measurements for the last 25 years, beginning with the steep-angle reflection seismic studies (DEKORP-4/KTB, MVE-90, 9HR), the refraction and wide-angle experiments (GRANU’95, CELEBRATION 2000, SUDETES 2003), and followed by passive seismic studies (receiver functions, teleseismic tomography). The steep-angle reflection studies imaged a highly reflective lower crust (4 to 6 km thick) with the Moho interpreted in a depth between 30 and 32 km and a thinner crust beneath the Eger Rift. The refraction and wide-angle reflection seismic studies (CELEBRATION 2000) revealed strong wide-angle reflections in a depth of 26–28 km interpreted as the top of the lower crust. Long coda of these reflections indicates strong reflectivity in the lower crustal layer, a phenomenon frequently observed in the Caledonian and Variscan areas. The receiver function studies detected one strong conversion from the base of the crust interpreted as the Moho discontinuity at a depth between 27 and 37 km (average at about 31 km). The discrepancies in the Moho depth determination could be partly attributed to different background of the methods and their resolution, but could not fully explain them. So that new receivers function modelling was provided. It revealed that, instead of a first-order Moho discontinuity, the observations can be explained with a lower crustal layer or a crust-mantle transition zone with a maximum thickness of 5 km. The consequent synthetic ray-tracing modelling resulted in the model with the top of the lower crust at 28 km, where highly reflective lower crustal layer can obscure the Moho reflection at a depth of 32–33 km.     

Regional differences in crustal structure of the North China Craton from receiver functions

Moho depth and crustal average Poisson's ratio for 823 stations are obtained by H-? stacking of receiver functions. These, together with topography and receiver function amplitude information, were used to study the crustal structure beneath the North China Craton(NCC). The results suggest that modified and preserved crust coexist beneath the craton with generally Airy-type isostatic equilibrium. The equilibrium is relatively low in the eastern NCC and some local areas in the central and western NCC, which correlates well with regional geology and tectonic features. Major differences in the crust were observed beneath the eastern, central, and western NCC, with average Moho depths of 33, 37, and 42 km and average Poisson's ratios of 0.268, 0.267 and 0.264, respectively. Abnormal Moho depths and Poisson's ratios are mainly present in the rift zones, the northern and southern edges of the central NCC, and tectonic boundaries. The crust beneath Ordos retains the characteristics of typical craton. Poisson's ratio increases roughly linearly as Moho depth decreases in all three parts of the NCC with different slopes. Receiver function amplitudes are relatively large in the northern edge of the eastern and central NCC, and small in and near the rifts. The Yanshan Mountains and southern part of the Shanxi rift show small-scale variations in the receiver-function amplitudes. These observations suggest that overall modification and thinning in the crust occurred in the eastern NCC, and local crustal modification occurred in the central and western NCC. Different crustal structures in the eastern, central, and western NCC suggest different modification processes and mechanisms. The overall destruction of the crustal structure in the eastern NCC is probably due to the westward subduction of the Pacific Plate during the Meso-Cenozoic time; the local modifications of the crust in the central and western NCC may be due to repeated reactivations at zones with a heterogeneous structure by successive thermal-tectonic events during the long-term evolution of the NCC.     

Lithospheric structure of NW Iran from P and S receiver functions

We computed P and S receiver functions to investigate the lithospheric structure beneath the northwest Iran and compute the Vp/Vs ratio within the crust of this seismologically active area. Our results enabled us to map the lateral variations of the Moho as well as those of the lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary (LAB) beneath this region. We selected data from teleseismic events (M_b?>?5.5, epicentral distance between 30° and 95° for P receiver functions and M_b?>?5.7, epicentral distance between 60° and 85° for S receiver functions) recorded from 1995 to 2008 at 8 three-component short-period stations of Tabriz Telemetry Seismic Network. Our results obtained from P receiver functions indicate clear conversions at the Moho boundary. The Moho depth was firstly estimated from the delay time of the Moho converted phase relative to the direct P wave. Then we used the H-Vp/Vs stacking algorithm of Zhu and Kanamori to estimate the crustal thickness and Vp/Vs ratio underneath the stations with clear Moho multiples. We found an average Moho depth of 48 km, which varies between 38.5 and 53 km. The Moho boundary showed a significant deepening towards east and north. This may reveal a crustal thickening towards northeast possibly due to the collision between the Central Iran and South Caspian plates. The obtained average Vp/Vs ratio was estimated to be 1.76, which varies between 1.73 and 1.82. The crustal structure was also determined by modeling of P receiver functions. We obtained a three-layered model for the crust beneath this area. The thickness of the layers is estimated to be 6–11, 18–35, and 38–53 km, respectively. The average of the shear wave velocity was calculated to be 3.4 km/s in the crust and reaches 4.3 km/s below the Moho discontinuity. The crustal thickness values obtained from P receiver functions are in good agreement with those derived by S receiver functions. In addition, clear conversions with negative polarity were observed at ~8.7 s in S receiver functions, which could be related to the conversion at the LAB. This may show a relatively thin continental lithosphere of about 85 km implying that the lithosphere was influenced by various geodynamical reworking processes in the past.     

Crustal thickness,VP/VS ratio,and shear wave velocity structures beneath Myanmar and their tectonic implications

The crustal structure in Myanmar can provide valuable information for the eastern margin of the ongoing Indo-Eurasian collision system. We successively performed H–k stacking of the receiver function and joint inversion of the receiver function and surface wave dispersion to invert the crustal thickness (H), shear wave velocity (V_S), and the V_P/V_S ratio (k) beneath nine permanent seismic stations in Myanmar. H was found to increase from 26 ?km in the south and east of the study area to 51 ?km in the north and west, and the V_P/V_S ratio was complex and high. Striking differences in the crust were observed for different tectonic areas. In the Indo-Burma Range, the thick crust (H ?～ ?51 ?km) and lower velocities may be related to the accretionary wedge from the Indian Plate. In the Central Myanmar Basin, the thin crust (H ?= ?26.9–35.5 ?km) and complex V_P/V_S ratio and V_S suggest extensional tectonics. In the Eastern Shan Plateau, the relatively thick crust and normal V_P/V_S ratio are consistent with its location along the western edge of the rigid Sunda Block.     

A crust-mantle model for the NORSAR area

Summary Elastic waves from explosions were recorded at NORSAR and at a number of field stations, and the data were used for determining a crust-mantle model under the array. The number of explosions was eleven distributed on seven shot points. The total number of recording points was fifty-one, and the interpretation was based on 350 individual records.The velocities obtained for the crustal phases were 6.2, 6.6 and 8.2 km/sec for theP _g ,P _g andP _n waves respectively. A deep crustal phase with a velocity of about 7.4 km/sec was observed. The mean depths to the discontinuities within the crust were determined to be 17 and 26 km. The depth to Moho varied greatly across the array from 31.5 km in the central part to 38 km under the C-ring. The maximum dip observed for the Moho was 12^o.Contribution No. 57 to Norwegian Geotraverse Project.     

Crustal structure of northeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau by receiver function inversion

Using seismic data of about one year recorded by 18 broadband stations of ASCENT project,we obtained 2547 receiver functions in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.The Moho depths under 14 stations were calculated by applying the H-κ domain search algorithm.The Moho depths under the stations with lower signal-noise ratio(SNR) were estimated by the time delay of the PS conversion.Results show that the Moho depth varies in a range of ~40–60 km.The Moho near the Haiyuan fault is vague,and its depth is larger than those on its two sides.In the Qinling-Qilian Block,the Moho becomes shallower gradually from west to east.To the east of 105°E,the average depth of the Moho is 45 km,whereas the west is 50 km or even deeper.Combining our results with surface wave research,we suggest a boundary between the Qinling and the Qilian Mountains at around 105°E.S wave velocities beneath 15 stations have been obtained through a linear inversion by using Crust2.0 as an initial model,and the crustal thickness that was derived by H-κ domain search algorithm was also taken into account.The results are very similar to the results of previous active source studies.The resulting figure indicates that low velocity layers developed in the middle and lower crust beneath the transition zone of the Tibet Block and western Qinling,which may be related to regional faults and deep earth dynamics.The velocity of the middle and lower crust increases from the Songpan Block to the northeastern margin of Tibetan Plateau.Based on the velocity of the crust,the distribution of the low velocity zone and the composition of the curst(Poisson's ratio),we infer that the crust thickening results from the crust shortening along the direction of compression.     

Geothermal profile and crust-mantle transition beneath east-central Queensland: Volcanology, xenolith petrology and seismic data

Geothermobarometry of garnet granulite and garnet websterite xenoliths in basalts from numerous localities in east-central Queensland gives P-T points that fall along the geotherm previously defined for southeastern Australia. This elevated geotherm is ascribed to the advective transport of heat by Tertiary-Recent magmas ponded at the crust-mantle boundary. The lower crust in this region consists dominantly of mafic granulites, representing frozen basaltic melts and cumulates. Spinel lherzolite becomes a dominant rock type at depths of ca. 30 km, and persists, interlayered with pyroxenites, to depths of ca. 55 km. Seismic reflection profiles show a “layered lower crust” between depths of 20 and 36 km depth. The lithologically defined crust-mantle boundary lies within this zone, at least 6 km above the seismically defined Moho. This interpretation is consistent with the observed velocity (V_p) gradient downward through the layered zone. The constructed geotherm implies that the bottom of the lithosphere beneath eastern Australia is shallower than ca. 100 km. This makes it unlikely that the diamonds of eastern Australia are derived from local intrusions, unless these are > 200 Ma old.     

Crustal Thickness and Velocity Ratio beneath National Seismic Stations in the Sichuan-Yunnan Area Based on Receiver Function Analysis

By using the teleseismic receiver function method, this paper analyzes the crustal thickness and v_P/v_S ratios beneath the 4 National seismic stations (KMI, TNC, CD2 and PZH) in the Sichuan-Yunnan area. This study gives the variance of Moho depths and velocity ratios of the 4 stations in different directions. The results show that the Moho depth beneath the Kunming station is around 50km, and the velocity ratio varies between 1.62 and 1.69. The thickness of crust and the velocity ratio do not change much with the direction. The crust beneath Tengchong station shows clear directivity, being 40.7km thick in the northeast and 49.7km thick in the southeast. The difference of the v_P/v_S values is remarkable between the two directions, reaching 0.2. The Chengdu station also has shallow Moho, about 40km, but is 8km deeper in the northeast and southwest and the velocity ratio has a change of 0.13 between the two directions. The crust beneath the Panzhihua station is stable. In all directions, the Moho depth is around 60km and the v_P/v_S ratio doesn't change significantly.     

Study of crustal structure and geological implications of southwestern margin of Northeast India

It is noticed that few geophysical studies have been carried out to decipher the crustal structure of southwestern part of the Northeast India comprising of Tripura fold belt and Bengal basin as compared to the Shillong plateau and the Brahmaputra basin. This region has a long history of seismicity that is still continuing. We have determined first-order crustal features in terms of Moho depths (H) and average V_P/V_S ratios (κ) using H-κ stacking technique. The inversion of receiver functions data yields near surface thick sedimentary layer in the Bengal basin, which is nearly absent in the Shillong plateau and Tripura fold belt. Our result suggests that the crust is thicker (38–45 km) in the Tripura fold belt region with higher shear-wave velocity in the lower crust than the Shillong plateau. The distribution of V_P/V_S ratio indicates heterogeneity throughout the whole region. While low to medium value of Poisson’s ratio (1.69–1.75) indicates the presence of felsic crust in the Shillong plateau of the extended Indian Archean crust. The medium to high values of V_P/V_S ratio (> 1.780) in the Bengal basin and the Tripura fold belt region represent mafic crust during the formation of the Bengal delta and the Tripura fold belt creation in the Precambrian to the Permian age. The depth of the sediments in the Bengal basin is up to 8 km on its eastern margin, which get shallower toward its northeastern and southeastern margins.     

Crustal Structure of the Korean Peninsula Using Surface Wave Dispersion and Numerical Modeling

Surface wave dispersion is studied to obtain the 1-D average velocity structure of the crust in the Korean Peninsula by inverting group- and phase-velocities jointly. Group velocities of short-period Rayleigh and Love waves are obtained from cross-correlations of seismic noise. Multiple-filter analysis is used to extract the group velocities at periods between 0.5 and 20 s. Phase velocities of Rayleigh waves in 10- and 50-s periods are obtained by applying the two-station method to teleseismic data. Dispersion curves of all group and phase velocities are jointly inverted for the 1-D average model of the Korean Peninsula. The resultant model from surface wave analysis can be used as an initial model for numerical modeling of observations of North Korean events for a velocity model appropriated to the Korean Peninsula. The iterative process is focused especially on the surface sedimentary layer in the numerical modeling. The final model, modified by numerical modeling from the initial model, indicates that the crust shear wave velocity increases with depth from 2.16 km/s for a 2-km-thick surface sedimentary layer to 3.79 km/s at a Moho depth of 33 km, and the upper mantle has a velocity of 4.70 km/s.